NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Syracuse Loses Exhibition Game to Complete Lousiest Day

Chas Rich — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

There are days that make you question why you put up with the things you do as a fan. For Syracuse fans, Tuesday was that day. The continuing fallout from the football team's best player abruptly quitting (ahead of an apparent second suspension) has been tough enough.

Now the basketball team drops an exhibition game to a Division II school, 82-79. This was not just losing to a D-II program, like Michigan State and Ohio State both did two years ago. That's embarrassing enough. This was losing to the Le Moyne Dolphins, a D-II school located right in Syracuse. It really doesn't get any more humiliating than that. Bragging rights in town for the year.

Syracuse let Le Moyne shoot nearly 48 percent in the game. You can't really break this game down in a blog post. It is a major conference Division I program with top national talent losing to a D-II program. Words fail.

Best tweet of the night goes to RJ Mosley for wondering "[S]cale of 1 to 10 how scared is a student reporter to ask a question" of Jim Boeheim. I'll agree with Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and say 101.

Syracuse Loses Exhibition Game to Complete Lousiest Day originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memphis, Kentucky Athletic Directors Bungle John Calipari Situation

Clay Travis — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Memphis, Conference USA, SEC, Campus, Coaches, Fans

Lost amid the kerfuffle overtaking John Calipari, Memphis, and Kentucky is the question that everyone should be asking: Is your average athletic director smart enough to handle their job given the intense pressure and attention that now descends upon the position?

Most are old jocks who've risen to prominence through equal parts glad-handing and reminiscing about the good ole days. They aren't particularly skilled in the black arts of modern-day communications or even, necessarily, at managing multi-million dollar businesses. I've wondered about this for a while, but the ham-handed way that R.C. Johnson of Memphis and Mitch Barnhart of Kentucky have dealt with the John Calipari imbroglio, has convinced me that neither of these guys are up to the job with which they've been entrusted.

Let's begin with Memphis' Johnson. He has his master's degree in P.E. from Northern Iowa. I'm sure there are all sorts of brilliant people in charge of multi-million dollar businesses who chose to pursue graduate studies in P.E., but I can't think of any. His actions at Memphis confirm this opinion. First, he allowed Calipari to insert language into the letters of intent that his players were signing that allowed the players out of the deal if Calipari wasn't there any longer; this is unheard of. Secondly, he waged a war to keep Calipari at Memphis without firing the shot that would have ended Kentucky's pursuit of Calipari immediately, releasing the NCAA letter of inquiry.

It absolutely boggles my mind that Johnson didn't leak this letter when Calipari began flirting with Kentucky. Memphis received the NCAA's letter in January. Did they really think they were going to appear before the NCAA infractions committee and no one was ever going to find out? All Johnson had to do was leak the letter in the week after the basketball season ended and Calipari would have been at Memphis for another five years. It would have taken that long for this mess to blow over. What did Johnson have to lose by doing this? Calipari wouldn't have left for Kentucky -- the Wildcats likely wouldn't have taken him -- he might have lost some recruits but given Coach Cal's abilities as a snake-oil salesman, he probably still could have convinced the recruits to come to Memphis.

Instead Johnson rounded up the boosters, increased his financial package, engaged in a futile pursuit of Calipari, and ended up settling on a young replacement who is most famous for sitting next to Miles Simon on the bench at Arizona.

Swing and a colossal miss.

If he didn't want to leak the letter because he believed it violated his moral code, he could have called Coach Cal into his office and said, "Here's the deal, we'll increase your salary by $500,000 and I won't release this letter to the press. We'll stand by you through the investigation. You can sign right here. Or you can get on the plane to Lexington and before you land, it will be on the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader Web site. They'll drop their pursuit of you and we won't give you the raise, but we'll still be happy to have you as coach."

Instead, the Memphis athletic department is on the hook for everything that Calipari has ever done at Memphis and the coach gets away with merely a dark cloud chasing him to Lexington.

Does this make any sense? R.C. Johnson couldn't have bungled this situation worse if he'd been intentionally attempting to sabotage his own program. But, and this is key, Kentucky's Mitch Barnhart makes R.C. Johnson's masters in P.E. look like a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford.

Barnhart raises incompetence to a whole new level.

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Pall bearers prepare to unload the casket of Wayman Tisdale during his funeral, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Tom Gilbert)

The hearse carrying the casket of Wayman Tisdale moves through Tulsa, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Shane Bevel)

John Wall, flanked by his sister Tonya Pulley and Dr. Frank Summerfield, formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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John Wall formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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John Wall laughs with his sister Tonya Pulley during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, where he announced he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, center, discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. At left is Word of God Christian Academy's Dr. Frank Summerfield and at right is Wall's sister Tonya Pulley. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, right, and Dr. Frank Summerfield discuss Wall's decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

First, let's be clear, whether you think Billy Clyde Gillispie is an uncouth idiot or not, his memorandum of understanding is valid. Kentucky's going to have to pay him a large percentage of the $6 million he's sued for before all is said and done. Don't let lawyers who have a dog in the fight try and convince you that this isn't a contract; lawyers will argue for whoever pays them the most. Right now both sides of the lawsuit are playing the media to convince non-lawyers that the other side is full of crap. That's normal. But, trust me, as an impartial observer, Gillispie has the much better position in this lawsuit. There's an offer, there's an acceptance, and adherence to the terms of the deal for two years. That memorandum is a functional contract. Everything else is just noise.

But what the hell is Barnhart thinking anyway? Who signs a coaching deal with someone and then refuses to expand upon a two-page memorandum because they want to be able to get out of the contract? Seriously, that's unbelievable. If you have that many reservations about a coach, how in the world is he your top choice? Making a decision like this convinced me that Barnhart was in over his head.

The subsequent interviews Barnhart gave this season convinced me of that even more. Barnhart was borderline unintelligible. Tubby Smith bailed out Barnhart by bolting for Minnesota, otherwise, Barnhart would have found a way to deed Rupp Arena to Smith and his representatives before that contract buyout was finalized.

Now, Barnhart and crew signed Big John even though they supposedly knew about the looming NCAA investigation. I know, I know, they claim that they cleared it with the NCAA. (Which, by the way, isn't permissible). They claim that Calipari assured them he had nothing to do with it, (Calipari: "Well, that depends on what the meaning of the word "know" is.") Really, when you get right down to it, Barnhart was so desperate to sign a big name to replace Billy G., he wouldn't have cared if Calipari had a side business smuggling Cambodians to Mexico. That's fine, but if you're a Kentucky fan don't you think you deserved the right to know that Coach Cal was on his way to ending up with two Final Four banners being stripped? I think so. The fact that they signed Cal without ever disclosing the investigation is a sham. They acted under the cover of night, because they likely believed they wouldn't be able to sign Calipari otherwise.

There's no doubt Coach Cal is smart, but he looks much smarter because he's playing three-dimensional chess against such weak bosses. That's how he managed to skip clean at UMass and Memphis while the programs crumbled in his wake. It's high time fans start paying more attention to the heads of their athletic departments, and demand something more than mere competence. They need someone smart enough to match wits with the smartest of coaches.

I can name 15 diehard Kentucky fans right now who would do a better job as athletic director than Mitch Barnhart. Same with Memphis. If you have any reasonably intelligent friends who happen to be fans of either program, you can probably do the same. With all the attention paid to coaches, and all the power they're accruing in today's collegiate game, isn't it more imperative than ever before that the man who is their ostensible boss have some semblance of ability? Gone are the days when athletic directors could be back slappers and good joke tellers, it's time for a new generation of athletic directors to take the reins. Guys who can do something more than negotiate great deals on tetherballs.

Memphis, Kentucky Athletic Directors Bungle John Calipari Situation originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 29 May 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hewitt on Latest Scandal: Not All Coaches Guilty by Implication

Terence Moore — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Georgia Tech, ACC, Fans, Recruiting

Thank goodness for Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt, a historically gifted recruiter who has been allergic to scandal. He represents a segment of his profession that could squeeze inside a foul lane.

Duplicity and college basketball are now one. I mean, if you name a program that has acquired a bigger-than-life player in recent years (Memphis and Southern Cal come to mind), it's like this: The odds are greater than Dick Vitale screaming into a microphone that such a program is destined for the NCAA slammer.

Hewitt disagrees. For one, he is high profile as president of the Black Coaches and Administrators and as a veteran of the Atlantic Coast Conference. So if he decided to shove a few of his peers under the bus, others would roll the wheels back and forth across his tongue.

Still, he believes what he says regarding, not only this new SAT flap involving former Memphis star Derrick Rose and possible NCAA violations, but other silliness in his sport that keeps dribbling into view.

You have the O.J. Mayo mess at Southern Cal, where Trojans coach Tim Floyd allegedly was his star player's ATM machine. You have Kelvin Sampson's addiction to cell phones at Oklahoma and later at Indiana. You have that mysteriously high jump between test scores for Brandon Jennings during his attempt to attend Arizona. (That was before he ran a fast break from high school to the European League.) You have the allegations of UConn folks using illegal means to acquire a player who was so troubled that he attended five high schools in four states.

You also have Hewitt trying to put things into perspective.

"There are going to be more and more cases where we find out that a player was involved in something that broke an NCAA rule and that the person behind that probably doesn't work for that institution -- and probably has no interest in that young man getting an education, but yet the blame will be thrown at the feet of the coach," said Hewitt, over the phone Thursday from Indianapolis, where the BCA is holding its annual convention and expo. "There's going to be people out there robbing the banks. But there's also going to be people out there driving by and having somebody jump in their car and say, 'Go,' and it's going to be like, 'What's going on?,' and they all get arrested.

"If three out of 10 coaches are caught up in something, I'm going to suggest to you that one and a half of those are innocent bystanders who were just hit by crossfire and another one and a half intentionally went out and did things wrong."

Who's who? That's the problem.

Given the huge bucks involved when a team keeps advancing in March Madness, more than a few coaches are into cheating or looking the other way. It's called trying to keep from getting fired. Plus, their fans are modern-day Joe Hardys. Remember? Hardy was the primary guy in the play "Damn Yankees" who was so obsessed with short-term pleasure that he sold his soul to the devil, just for a chance to help his Washington Senators whip the Yankees in the World Series.

Hewitt isn't a Joe Hardy. Hewitt is just a solid combination of coach and person who once took one of his nine Georgia Tech teams to the Final Four title game. He also has recruited a slew of blue chippers, ranging from Chris Bosh to Jarrett Jack to Javaris Crittenton to Thaddeus Young to Derrick Favors.

Not a hint of scandal.

"I'm not sitting here telling you that I know that every player I brought to Georgia Tech was 'clean,' and I wouldn't dare tell you that," Hewitt said. "I'd be naive or lying, because I can't tell you that there isn't a kid out there who was identified at a very early age, and some guy grabbed him, and all of a sudden for the last three or four years, he was providing him with sneakers, and a burger from time to time, and money to attend his prom, or a plane ticket to go to an AAU tournament.

"No, I can't tell you that. Not in the climate that's out here now, and we [in the NCAA] don't do anything to combat that sort of thing."

What should the NCAA do?

Hewitt took a breath. Then he didn't take another one for a while, as he added with conviction, "The NCAA should sit down with the NBA Players Association and tell them, 'Hey, look. We have a problem with your agents contacting these kids at an early age. We have a problem with illegal recruiters and runners on campuses and things like that. We have no control of those people. You do.'

"Not only that, the people who govern our game have to do a better job of getting the truth out to the media, and they have to take an active role in helping us avoid these situations. We also have to win the hearts and souls of these kids. I tell my kids all the time, 'Don't ever let somebody do for you what you should be doing for yourself, because you'll always end up on the short end.' "

So will your school -- and your coach.

And, ultimately, your sport.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

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Hewitt on Latest Scandal: Not All Coaches Guilty by Implication originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 28 May 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Useless Talk of Taxing College Sports

Chas Rich — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:44:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, March Madness, Campus, Fans, Media Watch

A great advantage for big-time college athletics is that they are tax-exempt. From the NCAA to the athletic departments at Texas and Ohio State, they can reap the revenue and not pay taxes because they are part of educational systems.

With the country in a recession, the national deficits rising and tax revenue declining, the U.S. Government has to find other revenue streams. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in a report, suggested looking into the commercial activities of collegiate athletic departments.

Senator Chuck Grassely (R-Iowa), who initially called for the CBO to investigate, at the very least would like to get some more transparency from the athletic departments around the country.

"The fact that congressional analysts had to rely on information collected by a major newspaper for source data highlights how little information is available about how these programs work. Given all the tax benefits involved, tight state budgets, and rising tuition despite the recession, it's pretty clear that Congress needs to engage and policymakers need to know more in order to act as responsible stewards of the tax policy that drives this fundraising and commercial activity. This report shows colleges receive tax benefits that aren't available to private businesses that engage in the same commercial activities. Colleges should explain how they use their commercial revenue to get the biggest bang for the buck in fulfillment of their educational mission."

The CBO used a database compiled by the Indianapolis Star in its report.

This will ultimately come to nothing. Congress will not, in any way, change the tax exempt status of colleges and their athletic departments. There will be, at best, a public hearing where Senators and/or Representatives can sanctimoniously berate some college presidents and athletic directors.

The college presidents and athletic directors will feebly counter with claims of how the athletic departments and programs support non-revenue sports, give back to the universities, and how athletic activities further the character and development of students. Nothing will come out of it, though, after a few brief moments in the news cycle.

Why? Because there is no way fans and alumni -- specifically voters in each state -- would be willing to see anything hurt their own school's athletic programs.

Do you think a member of Congress from Alabama, Florida or Texas would support legislation that would remove the tax-exempt status of corporate sponsorships, royalties and other revenue streams for the football programs? What are the odds of support to tax that revenue from an Ohio or Michigan Congressman? Do you think an Indiana or Kentucky Congressman would do anything that could be perceived as hurting the basketball programs in their states?

Royalties from licensing, corporate sponsorship programs and the like are huge income producers for programs like the Crimson Tide, Gators, Seminoles, Longhorns, Buckeyes, Wolverines and many other programs.

Fans of major programs are savvy enough to know that the money advantages translates into being able to have higher budgets for paying coaches, facilities and recruiting. They are not going to support losing that advantage. The BCS conference schools are in 35 states. There is simply no way that there would be political support in Congress for minimal tax revenue gains.

Useless Talk of Taxing College Sports originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 21 May 2009 10:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sooners Could Miss Booted Juan Pattillo

Terrance Harris — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Oklahoma, Big 12, Campus, Fans

Don't look now, but Sunday's sudden dismissal of 6-foot-6 rising senior forward Juan Pattillo has made the Oklahoma Sooners frontline for next season much younger and far more inexperienced.

The Sooners were already coming into the 2009-10 season with major questions marks in their frontcourt with the departure of All-American Blake Griffin and his brother Taylor Griffin to the NBA. But things became more uncertain with the removal of the athletic Pattillo from the equation.

Head coach Jeff Capel announced Sunday that Pattillo had been removed from the squad for violation of team rules. The speculation in Oklahoma is that the former junior college transfer was jettisoned because of academic issues. Capel declined to comment further.
Pattillo, who had some impressive moments sprinkled in with a lot of inconsistency last season, would have contended for one of the starting forward spots. OU will now have five scholarship players to contend for its frontline positions, including incoming freshmen Keith "Tiny" Gallon, Andrew Fitzgerald and Kyle Hardrick. Also figuring into the mix are seniors Ryan Wright and Orlando Allen, who have been role players the past couple seasons.

In Pattillo, the Sooners would have had an athletic big man who showed some ability at both ends of the floor last season as finisher and shot blocker. Few in Norman will forget his 15-point effort during the Sooners' loss to Kansas when Blake was out with a concussion or his 14-point, 10-rebound output in a win over Baylor.

Pattillo also certainly had his moments of inconsistency throughout the year, but he began the year expecting to redshirt after transferring in the College of Southern Idaho. He decided to come out of the redshirt in January.

Pattillo, who served a one-game suspension for the Sooners Feb. 28th game against Texas Tech, averaged 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 15 minutes per game last season.

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British actor Russell Brand watches from court side as the Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets during Game 7 of their NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff game in Los Angeles, May 17, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL ENTERTAINMENT)

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British actor Russell Brand watches from court side as the Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets during Game 7 of their NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff game in Los Angeles, May 17, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES SPORT ENTERTAINMENT BASKETBALL)

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Cab driver Mohammed Jiddou,sits in his cab on May 14, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jiddou,who got into an altercation with Mississippi basketball coach Andy Kennedy said he's frequently recognized these days by passengers and doesn't always feel safe driving the streets because of last December's incident. (AP Photo/The Enquirer, Michael E. Keating

Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, right, secures a rebound against Georgetown's Austin Freeman (15) during second half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair (45) puts up a shot over Georgetown center Greg Monroe (10) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh's Gary McGhee (52) goes high to grab a rebound between Georgetown's Greg Monroe (10) and DaJuan Summers (3) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair, right, puts a shot up over Georgetown defenders Greg Monroe (10) and DaJuan Summers (3) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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President Barack Obama receives a jersey from coach Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team at the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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Sooners Could Miss Booted Juan Pattillo originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 18 May 2009 17:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Battle Sparks Penn State Pandemonium

Matt Snyder — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:20:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Penn State, Big Ten, Fans

With less than two minutes left, the Penn State Nittany Lions trailed Illinois by six points at home. WIth their NCAA tournament hopes likely needing a nice little boost, this seemed like the most important 120 seconds of Penn State's season. So Stanley Pringle stepped up with a 3-pointer. David Jackson had an incredible offensive rebound in traffic, following it with two free throws. Penn State got a defensive stop, but turned it over on offense. They immediately fouled Illinois forward Mike Davis. The rest? Well, just watch.

You have to love the dramatic effect of the ball bouncing around the rim ever-so-slightly before going home for the Nittany Lions victory, no?

Talor Battle has been in the conversation for Big Ten player of the year for a while, and this is just another addition to his resume, despite the overall poor shooting performance. He illustrates why every basketball team should have a set-in-stone go-to guy. He can be 4-16 from the floor (which Battle was), but you still know who needs to take the big shot. Kudos to Penn State for recognizing this.

Also, there are many who would say the students and fans should not have stormed the court, but I'm all about it here. Penn State has never won 10 Big Ten games in a season until now. They haven't been to the NCAA tournament since their current seniors were in eighth grade -- and it's not exactly like the Penn State basketball program is storied.

Have your fun, PSU students, you deserve it. You are about to go dancing.

Battle Sparks Penn State Pandemonium originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Christian Laettner, Rick Pitino Relive 'The Shot' in Vitamin Water Ad

Will Brinson — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Kentucky, ACC, SEC, March Madness, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch, Video

Christian Laettner did many amazing things in his four years at Duke. But one instance stands out above the rest, a pump-fake, turnaround, buzzer beating jump shot against Kentucky in the 1992 regional final which gave the Devils a single-point victory in overtime against Kentucky, then coached by Rick Pitino. Vitamin Water relives that classic moment in hysterical fashion with the following awesome commercial (via Rush the Court).

Christian Laettner, Rick Pitino Relive 'The Shot' in Vitamin Water Ad originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Duke Getting Desperate With Crazies

Will Brinson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, ACC, Campus, Coaches, Fans

The slow and steady decline of innovation with Duke's infamous Cameron Crazies is all the rage right now. Of course, this isn't Earth-shattering news. We told you about it a few weeks ago with their weakcheer sheet performance during the Carolina game.

But things have hit an all-time low now, as head coach Mike Krzyzewksi has resorted to writing pep talk letters to the Duke students, urging them to be "louder" and "more passionate" tonight as the Devils take on Florida State.

Later tonight at 8 p.m. against Florida State, though, we need it even louder, even more passionate, even more Duke blue and even hungrier, as we pursue our 11th win of the ACC season. And just as importantly, it's a special night for your classmates-three seniors (David McClure, Greg Paulus and Marty Pocius) who have represented the program so well during their time at Duke. We need to honor them with our best game of the year in Cameron-our loudest and our most passionate.

I know we can do it-two hours of complete Cameron chaos should be our lasting memory of the 2008-2009 home season. I hope you'll join us and be a part of this special night. I can't wait to be in that moment with you!

Now, in fairness, it is senior night, so there's very good reason to try and work the Crazies into a bigger frenzy than normal. And it's also worth noting that the Duke fans were loud at the Carolina game.

But come on. This is the last home game of the season and these are the Cameron Crazies we're talking about; there's absolutely no reason anyone should have to tell them to get excited, right? Yet, well over 12 hours before tip-off, Coach K felt the need to urge the students with a letter in the student newspaper. I'm not saying the Crazies can't be helped, but anyone who thinks they're just as amusing, clever and enthusiastic as in years past should probably think again.

Duke Getting Desperate With Crazies originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Rankings: Providencial Putz

Will Brinson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Campus, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics when the polls come out.

Headlining: Pittsburgh took over first in the country after beating Connecticut two weeks ago. All it had to do was beat Providence and the Panthers would get to sit pretty at No. 1 overall, possibly cruising to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Yet, they somehow lost. It's a testament to this year's college basketball season, not only in terms of parity and a lack of elite teams, but general confusion as well. Don't bother telling me you saw that coming.

What you might have seen coming was UConn returning to the top spot. Because North Carolina was still below the Huskies following the Heels' loss to Maryland Feb. 21, and because Jim Calhoun's crew took out Marquette and Notre Dame, this was pretty obvious.

Free-Fallin': Arizona State (21-7). Say what you want about Herb Sendek's team, but at least they're consistent -- in a very weird way. Just a few weeks after their ascent up the polls was halted at No. 14 by back-to-back home losses to Washington State and Washington, the Sun Devils apparently felt like last week's ranking of No. 11 was just high enough. So naturally, they coughed up back-to-back overtime losses to -- you guessed it -- Washington State and Washington. Washington is the class of the Pac-10 now, but no one from this conference is cutting down nets in April anyway.

You Gotta Rise Up: Kansas (24-5). Bill Self is apparently "falling in love with this team." While that's awkward on any number of levels, it's kind of hard to blame him. The Jayhawks are streaking right now, having lost just twice in the 2009 calendar year, and those against two teams currently in the top 15. You may recall me mentioning this last week. It's worth repeating because the Jayhawks were labeled as "bunked" (i.e. underrated) before taking out the Blake Griffin-less Oklahoma Sooners and then throttling Missouri 90-65 at Allen Fieldhouse. They're good and it's not totally implausible that the defending champs win the the Big 12 tournament and bag a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Hyped: Wake Forest (22-5). The Demon Deacons have lost just five games, but they're highly inconsistent. And more than that, do they get up for lesser opponents? I know that seems like a silly, anti-statistical notion, but Wake has lost games to Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami and N.C. State. If Wake ends up landing a two or three seed against an uppity 14th or 15th seed (although no one outside of Morgan State in Lundardi's sets are really terrifying right now) is it that inconceivable that the Deacons don't show up? At this point, I don't think so.

Bunked: Missouri (24-5). This might seem counter-intuitive, but I'm willing to chalk up Missouri's blowout loss to Kansas as a tremendous showing by the Jayhawks in a rivalry game tinted with revenge. Mizzou shot 20.5 percent from the floor in the first half and only scored 19 points. I think you will see a much, much different team Wednesday night against Oklahoma, and, despite the return of the Sooners' Blake Griffin, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict an upset. If that comes off, I look very smart for slotting them here. If not, just forget this column ever existed.

WTF? Did you know that Bob Huggins was capable of shedding tears? Because I did not. Huggy Bear just seems like the kind of guy who, while certainly compassionate, would end up rubbing his eyes and asking what this salty discharge was as he watched Cincy honor him. But maybe I'm just too cynical. I always assumed that anyone who would rock out this suit (caption possibly NSFW) wouldn't know what crying was.

People Who Vote Are Smart (Brought to You by Pollspeak.com): This choice was easy this week, as Ron Morris of The State in South Carolina apparently mailed in his vote from inside Shady Acres. For starters (in numerical order), he has Wake Forest, Marquette and Villanova ranked seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. That would be fine, if Memphis wasn't 10th. But let's not dwell there too long. Duke is at 11. But wait, it gets worse! Florida State clocks in at 15th overall. Aside from sweeping Clemson, I'm struggling to find a quality win for the Seminoles. And, no, Florida doesn't count. Of course, sticking the 'Noles there wouldn't be an issue if Washington and Kansas didn't occupy the 21st and 22nd spots sandwiched between UCLA and Arizona State. Dios mio.

Ranking the Rankings: Providencial Putz originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digger Phelps Bumps, Grinds and Jives

Will Brinson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: California, UCLA, Pac-10, Campus, Fans, Media Watch, Video

Digger Phelps is one of ESPN's most colorful characters. I mean that literally, too. The guy matches his highlighters to his ties. Which, all ridiculousness aside, seems like it would be really difficult to manage in terms of a long-term dress code. Well, Digger only added to his colorful notoriety Saturday night, when he got down with some Cal cheerleaders during a timeout. On the bright side, at least he wasn't talking about Notre Dame. Via Bruins Nation.

Digger Phelps Bumps, Grinds and Jives originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hokie Fans Thinks Paulus Likes Lipton

Will Brinson — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Virginia Tech, ACC, Fans, Media Watch, Video

Greg Paulus is always a bit of a goat in terms of national hatred (see: "Duke Sucks" having more entries at Mister I than "Greives Vasquez".) Of course, he's following a long line of Duke point guards who have experienced the same thing. Although I don't know if they all heard "Tea-Bag-Paul-Us!" as the announcers in the following clip seemed to imply while the Virginia Tech fans mocked the Duke point guard during some free throw attempts.

"Tea-Bag-Paul-Us" from Will Brinson on Vimeo.

Hokie Fans Thinks Paulus Likes Lipton originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Terp Fans Prank Duke Hotel Rooms

Will Brinson — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Maryland, ACC, Campus, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Maryland-Duke is not a rivalry to be taken lightly, even if Duke did wallop the Terps by 41 in Cameron earlier this season. Now that Maryland is firmly on the bubble (and climbing), though, the stakes are raised again. Which may explain why Maryland fans are going all out in their pre-game prep for Wednesday night's matchup.

"All out" here doesn't just mean "making funny chant sheets," either; the Terps have not only created Facebook groups dedicated to "Operation: Scheyerface 2.0" (via Joe Ovies) but they also spent the week prank-calling Duke's hotel room.

Yes, that's right -- someone figured out where the Blue Devils were staying, and for whatever reason, the hotel's operator freely connected Maryland fans to the rooms of Duke players and coaches. To wit, a poster on the message board Terpcenter claims to have had the following conversation with Greg Paulus:

"Hello, this is ****** with the Washington Times, sorry to bother you at this hour Mr. Paulus, but we are running a small piece tomorrow and I was hoping to take 2 minutes and ask you a question?"

Him: "Uhhh, sure"

"If you had to choose between Deron Washington, Danny Green, and Dwayne Collins, who's[sic] n*ts would you say tasted the best?"

Him: ...click.

While crude, that's also kind of amusing. Of course, so is this goal to get as many photos of Jon Scheyer's face up as possible.

This time, we need everyone to print out one black and white scheyerface (or more since I'm sure people will miss this) from the end of this description and taunt him. It doesn't matter which one, just pick one. If you are on the wall, I'm pretty sure shooting 2nd half free throws into a wall of Scheyerfaces would work to perfection. I can get quite a few, but not enough for every student and we can always go bigger. Larger signs and such are encouraged as well as the normal d00k signage. Feel free to use the wall for ideas, suggestions, etc.

Invite whoever, there needs to be some serious teamwork for this to work as well as possible.

See? That's creative. Please take note, Cameron Crazies. And next year, when Maryland comes back to Cameron, throw some anti-perspirant at Gary Williams. Or something more humorous than that. Point being, Maryland hates Duke and their fans are willing to go to almost any lengths to make grown men cry.

Terp Fans Prank Duke Hotel Rooms originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elliott Williams Gets a Free Travel Pass

Will Brinson — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:50:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Wake Forest, ACC, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Conspiracy theorists will tell you that Duke gets more calls at Cameron Indoor than the Lakers do at Staples Center. John Cloughtery, the head of ACC officiating, will probably tell you differently. And it is, for the most part, a conspiracy. But the following video, in which white-hot Duke frosh Elliot Williams takes "a few" steps before dribbling against Wake last night, probably won't help matters, especially considering this was a no call.

I actually missed this call, because I was donning my KFC hat in order to get to the office on time, but grabbed it via the Piler. Personally, I don't think Duke gets too much love at home -- Mike Krzyzewski's best work is usually done on the officials -- but this one was pretty blatant.

Elliott Williams Gets a Free Travel Pass originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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West Virginia Takes Out Frustration on Shell-Shocked Villanova

Chas Rich — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:25:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova, West Virginia, Big East, Fans

West Virginia really needed a signature win. The Mountaineers had one quality win over Ohio State earlier in the year but, aside from that, the best they could claim was a win over Georgetown back when the Hoyas were still ranked. They finally got another marquee victory with a blowout of Villanova 93-72.

West Virginia had lost three of four, with all three losses coming on the road. It had been swept and embarrassed by Pitt earlier in the week. The Mountaineers were facing a team that had won six straight including wins over Pitt, Syracuse and Marquette -- they knew they really needed a win, and played like it.

Da'Sean Butler completely dominated the game. After playing only limited minutes in West Virginia's last game because of foul trouble and being held to only four points, he more than compensated. Butler scored a career-high 43 points against Villanova, and helped bust the game open in the first half.

The Mountaineers handled the Wildcats' trapping and ball pressure. They made extra passes and found room to attack the basket. It prevented Villanova from double-teaming and positioning themselves to take charges in the lane.

Villanova, which had great success attacking teams in its win streak and getting the opponents in foul trouble, got a taste of their own medicine. Dante Cunningham found himself sitting on the bench for most of the first half when he picked up two quick fouls. That opened things up inside for West Virginia to cut to the basket, and it removed a vital part of the Villanova offense.

Villanova had no inside presence to put the ball inside in the fist half, and that left no chance to kick it out. It meant that Villanova was forced out on the perimeter or to simply drive to the basket.

In the second half, both Reggie Redding and Scottie Reynolds fouled out, and both did so on frustration fouls after making mistakes. Redding was beat on a cut to the basket and simply hacked. Reynolds had a turnover and tried to get it back on the other end.

This game really helps West Virginia with their NCAA Tournament resume. It gives the Mountaineers a second win over a team in the RPI top-25. Their schedule gets a little easier, so they should be able to finish the Big East schedule with a winning record.

West Virginia Takes Out Frustration on Shell-Shocked Villanova originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cole Aldrich Not Amused by Prank Calls

Shane Bacon — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Kansas State, Big 12, Fans

Kansas State fans 1, Cole Aldrich 0.

A year after Wildcat fans obtained the number of Brandon Rush and flooded message boards with his digits, they've done it again. Aldrich had his number revealed as well, which didn't sit well with the sophomore.

State fans started ringing and texting Aldrich, who retaliated (if it is him) with the following very, VERY NSFW message.

"Yo what's up, this is Cole Aldrich talking back. Yeah, I got your message. I can't wait to come to Manhattan and dunk the ball all over you motherf***ers. It will be the greatest day in Kansas basketball history. I can't wait to go in there and f***ing drop 20-10 on you godd***ed motherf***ers. See you there, b***h." *end of message*

It wasn't 20 and 10 in the first meeting with the Wildcats, but Cole did drop 15 and 8 on those motherf***ers.

Wow, pardon my French, I just got carried away. The game is this Saturday at Kansas State, and should be a good one, barring any unfortunate picture texts that head Aldrich's way. That could just get ugly.

h/t Deadspin

Cole Aldrich Not Amused by Prank Calls originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VMI Twins' On-Court Switch Tricks Refs

Will Brinson — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:20:00 EST

Filed under: Campus, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch, Rumors

Chavis Holmes and Travis Holmes are twins. They are awesomely named. They are also basketball players for the Virginia Military Institute's basketball teams. It's probably safe to say that, aside from the whole military aspect of the school, they have a lot of fun at college.

That's because twins get to pull all kinds of shenanigans and identity swaps. And the Holmes brothers even managed to pull one off on the court, according to a recent interview with the Quad.

"When we played Richmond," Chavis said, "we did a little switcheroonie."

In that Dec. 31 game, Chavis had missed three free-throws in a row early in the first half, and Travis could see that his brother was struggling. So the next time Chavis was fouled, Travis had an idea.

"He just walked up to me like, Man, let me shoot these," Chavis said. "So I just let him."
Travis made both free-throws, and the Keydets went on to win, 73-70. The twins said their parents were the only people who noticed the switch.

First of all, those referees are fired. Right now. I understand that these guys look exactly alike, but they have to wear different numbers, right? (Answer: obviously.) And while this story is like a thousand different levels of awesome, isn't it probably worth noting that VMI barely beat Richmond, and that these free throws altered the course of the game? (Answer: probably.) But because the story is so GD hilarious, I'll probably find myself upset if Richmond decides to file a protest or anything.

VMI Twins' On-Court Switch Tricks Refs originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have the Crazies Lost Their Creativity?

Will Brinson — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, UNC, ACC, Campus, Fans, Media Watch, North Carolina

FanHouse was on site for Duke-UNC. And we have Notes from Cameron Indoor.

Generally, Duke students are not just loud, they're also funny. It's what distinguishes them from everyone else in the country. And not funny in a crude N.C. State-Maryland kind of way, but in an intellectually superior, extremely clever kind of way. Not on Wednesday.

There were little-to-no player specific cheers and even some of the old standbys used by the Cameron Crazies were absent. Instead, we were treated to a whole heck of a lot of "Let's Go Duke," over and over again. After finding a "Cheer Sheet" -- the renowned slips of paper handed to students before games for synchronized harassment of opposing teams in Cameron after the game -- let's just say I was pretty disappointed.

Why? Because here's the Carolina player specific "playlist."

[Ed] Davis: Daddy's boy! or Roy's third choice
[Wayne] Ellington: Gerald's better!
[Danny] Green: You can't dance!
[Tyler] Hansbrough: You flop! You wine! You travel every time! or Tyler travels! Every time!
[Ty] Lawson: Ty fought the Law, and the Law won!
[Roy] Williams: Roy is diz-zy! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap

I mean, no offense, but really? That's the best that a bunch of highly intelligent people could muster over the course of two weeks leading up to this game? Really?

(Aside/caveat: I've seen a substantial number of games at Cameron Indoor Stadium over the past 20-some years, and the students and fans during Wednesday's loss to North Carolina were as loud as I've heard them in a long time. But still, not so much on the creative side.)

Additionally, the Duke cheers for their own team were pretty "meh" -- they had nothing prepared for Greg Paulus and actually suggested the use of "Fee-Fi-Foe-Fum!" as a cheer for Brian Zoubek. The final straw might actually have been the students' decision to use "Bull-S***" as a chant when they disagreed with a call; while technically accurate, it's always more fascinating when they break out a well timed "We Beg to Dif-fer!" directed towards the referees.

Look, Duke fans aren't the reason the actual game itself happens, but they are a huge part of the atmosphere at Cameron Indoor Stadium. And frankly, I think we've all just come to expect a lot more out of them. It would be sad to think that they had lost their creativity.

Have the Crazies Lost Their Creativity? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hansbrough Joins 4-for-4 Cameron Club

Will Brinson — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:10:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, UNC, ACC, Fans, North Carolina

FanHouse was on site for Duke-Carolina. And we have Notes from Cameron Indoor.

There are only four four-year players in the history of college basketball that have swept Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium for their career. Tim Duncan, Rusty LaRue and after Wednesday night, Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.

North Carolina's win over Duke closes out a remarkable run for the Tar Heel star and reigning player of the year Hansbrough, and, love him or hate him, his dominance over his arch-rival is a pretty fitting addition to a cap that lacks only the feather of a national championship. The All-American forward downplayed the "record" and thinking about it before tip-off.

"This is a really tough place to play," Hansbrough said. "I didn't think we played our best basketball tonight, but you just have to come out and play. Leading up to the game I was so hyped up. I didn't want to think about the record. We just wanted to focus on the game."

Much of that focus seemed to show up during the second half, just in time for the Heels to pull away and win their fourth straight in Cameron. Of course, Carolina's win, and Hansbrough and Green joining LaRue and Duncan in the exclusive club, means some awkward news for Greg Paulus and the senior Blue Devil class: They never beat Carolina at home.

Naturally, this is a source of some discontent.

"It hurts," Paulus said after the game. "It really does. ... I don't get another chance to do it at home. ... You come to Duke to win these games."

No surprise to hear of that disappointment; Duke has failed to hold serve at home since February of 2005. Two wins at the Smith Center are nice, but as Paulus said, this has to hurt for anyone who spent all four years on the Blue Devil roster.

It's the other way around for Hansbrough, of course, and Green, but you have to imagine those two and Roy Williams won't be spending much time thinking about number four before moving their focus towards Detroit (this year's site of the Final Four).

Hansbrough Joins 4-for-4 Cameron Club originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Crazy Towel Guy' Is Popular at Duke

Will Brinson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, UNC, ACC, Campus, Fans, Video, North Carolina

FanHouse was on site for Duke - Carolina. And we have Notes from Cameron Indoor.

Herb Neubauer is a legend at Duke basketball games. You probably know him as "Crazy Towel Guy." (He got his own Wiki page, but it was deleted.) This is because Neubauer, an elderly gentleman and tremendous Duke fan, wildly swings his white towel at least once a game as the students cheer him on. He's so endearing, in fact, that he's basically one of them. So much so that he comes in the student entrance. Witness below, as he chugs a Monster energy drink, smashes it on the ground and freaks out.

'Crazy Towel Guy' Is Popular at Duke originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Economy Won't Effect Tourney Seeding

Will Brinson — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, WAC, March Madness, Coaches, Fans, Rumors, South

Travel costs for universities are a big deal in this economic climate. Look no further than the bowl "selections" that occurred this year -- there were a substantially larger number of teams hanging close to home, presumably to allow for cheaper travel for both the schools and their fans.

But the NCAA says that will not be a huge deal this year, and supposedly, geographical distance will not affect a team's pairing.

Selection committee chairman Mike Slive said during a conference call Tuesday that while the committee is sensitive to the economic climate, it has a responsibility to the nation to provide balanced brackets for the NCAA's marquee event, which begins in mid-March.

Whether or not this actually happens (I think it will, personally), this is still a tremendously positive statement for college basketball fans. There would be nothing worse than to see March Madness' inherent beauty -- the cross-country scramble to converge on one location -- tainted for the greater good of "economic stability."

Geographical selection isn't necessarily a problem for college football, though. Outside of the BCS bowls, any reduction of costs is substantial enough of a win for a team to validate staying close to home, not to mention an increase in ticket sales. But for college basketball, where the postseason actually matters, any sort of regional favoritism would be highly detrimental to the basic setup of the postseason itself.

Economy Won't Effect Tourney Seeding originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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